RING THE ALARM!
..enter Hazel English out April 24th
Singer/songwriter Hazel English penned her latest album of songs as a means to subvert feelings of complacency, mundanity, and isolation. The musical outcome is a love-laced attempt to “wake up and be present” amidst a world of rapid and perpetual interconnectivity. For Wake Up! English receives bi-metropolis production courtesy of Atlantan Ben H. Allen and Angeleno Justin Raise.
If we’re gonna be honest
We’ve got to lay it all out
On the line
The gentle blues licks and echoing percussion of Combat provides a musical raft upon which Hazel’s airy vocals coast through her relationship ambivalence:
In Off My Mind, Hazel masterfully interlocks her longing for self-understanding with her quest for love. The space in-between each line of thought is filled with her melodic musings:
I’m caught in a moment in-between
I’m caught in a distant dream
Hazel displays her vocal range, as well as her emotional range, in Five and Dime – where she seems to find refuge from yet another hazy love affair. Perhaps sorting through simply-priced store items helps English unravel the complexities of her heart:
You know i need my space
So, I’m heading to the five and dime
Wake Up! provides a master class in the interweaving of themes, emotions, and sounds to illustrate the importance of maintaining self-awareness within the larger framework of human evolution. It is much-needed easy listening in a world filled with hardships and heartaches, which requires the type of patience and mindfulness that Hazel English invests in her craft.
